Birthday surprise weekend - WWYD?

[thecatsthecats]

My husband and I both turn 30 within a month of each other, and we agreed on two celebrations, a very posh meal for mine, and a weekend away abroad together for his (me paying for flights, hotel jointly). It's a surprise for him where we actually go.

I'm booking flights at the weekend, and have pretty much two options:

3 nights in Dublin vs 2 nights in Hamburg.

Dublin

• we've been before, but many years ago
• less 'foreign' feeling (a negative, as we like to explore)
• longer stay
• less pressure to run around doing 'stuff'

Hamburg

• never been
• more foreign (I speak reasonable German though)
• shorter stay - less time for both 'stuff' and relaxing

Factor for both: we've just been on a long adventurous honeymoon, which was absolutely fantastic but not heavy on relaxation...

I'm inclined towards a longer weekend in Dublin personally, but can't help thinking my husband will think it's a boring option to go to the place we've been before.

So wwyd? More time in a familiar place? Another, more brief adventure?

I would go to Hamburg somewhere new for you both.

Go to Bruges! I love that place so much. 3 hours on the train from London, and it's such a gorgeous town. You can get pretty good airbnb deals.

I second Bruges. Beautiful, unique and perfect for couples on a long weekend.

Ghost - I don't live in London, and we've come back from a holiday involving 5 long haul flights! I'm done with long journeys for the month I do want to go at some point, but it's out for this weekend.

I should add that we've been to two German cities together, and he went to a third alone, so Germany is also a little less 'new' (though that's probably my pro-Dublin bias showing).